The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, July 12, 978-Page7
A bright 'West Side story'
By ELEONORA DI LISCIA
Fearful that their neighborhood's
identity would fall to the mercy of
money-hungry developers, several
businesses in the downtown area west
of Main Street got together in the early
1970s and formed the West Side Neigh-
borhood Group )WSNG).
And so far, the coalition of 55 bar and
shop owners seems to be a success.
Initially, WSNG members met
sporadically to discuss ideas for
upgrading the character of their neigh-
borhood, then began to work on a more
formal basis.
"I GOT INVOLVED with the West
Side Neighborhood Group to help
protect the West Side from being en-
croached upon by the post industrial,
World War II, Eisenhower mentality,
Disneyland expansionist values," said
Applerose owner Julian Moody. He ad-
ded that he wants to see buildings
develop in their individual style and not
according to the formulas of
professional developers.
As a first step, WSNG hired the Ann
Arbor Tomorrow and Preservation Ur-
ban Design groups to conduct facade
studies so the merchants could deter-
mine what the area's building style is
and work to keep it that way.
Next, WSNG made arrangements for
local banks to provide long-term loans
so owners could finance renovations of
their buildings.
ASIDE FROM private improvemen-
ts, WSNG has worked to improve the
look of the general neighborhood. The
organization received $35,000 from the
City Development Block Grant
program to install benches, kiosks,
planters, and sodium lights, which
provide softer lighting than traditional
fixtures. -
Though local merchants were
anxious to upgrade their community,
they did have to get through hurdles in
order to see their renewal ideas come
about.
Daily Photo by JOHN KNOX
Ann Arbor's west side has resisted the modernistic facade common to many other neighborhoods thanks to residents'
devoted efforts.
Ernest Harburg, part owner of the
Del Rio and the Earle night spots, said
it took merchants some time to learn
how to work through the city gover-
nment to get things done.
"CITY COUNCIL was really in favor
of us, but we had to learn the hard way
that you have to get a permit to plant a
tree and pay three dollars," he said.
"Flood's (bar) put up some trees
without permission and the city tore the
whole thing down."
Harburg said in addition to helping
upgrade the neighborhood's look,
WSNG has also functioned to tie the
community together in times of crisis.
"A year ago the Ann Arbor Transpor-
tation Authority wanted to put all the
buses on Washington and Main," Har-
burg recalled. "In twenty-four hours we
had a petition with signatures from 35
stores."
DICK MACIAS, an employee of
Preservation Urban Design landscape
architectural firm, said next on the list
of WSNG architectural firm, said next
on the list of WSNG projects is im-
proving maintenance of alleys. The
merchants would also like to increase
the community's population by
renovating the upper floors of
buildings. The Earle has plans to add 18
suites and the Old German restaurant
wants to add seven suites.
But Macias said WSNG members
have to make sure that new construc-
tion fits in well with the character of the
area.
"It's not a neighborhood that is based
on destroying old buildings to put
boutiques here," he said.
"It's typical Main Street to put up
plastic signs and close at 6 p.m., but
we're open all the time," said Harburg.
"We want an open neighborhood."
South African prisoner plunges to death
PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) - A
young black prisoner plunged to his
death from a fifth-floor police office in
the coastal town of Port Elizabeth -
the 25th non-white prisoner in two years
to die while in the custody of South
African security police.
Police Minister Jimmy Kruger or-
dered an immediate investigation
yesterday into the death of 20-year-old
Lungile Tabalaza. Kruger said the in-
vestigation would be conducted by a
policeman with the rank of general.
ACCORDING TO police, Tabalaza
jumped to his death Monday from
security police offices in Port
Elizabeth, hours after he had been
picked up on suspicion of arson and
theft.
The Port Elizabeth offices were the
site of the interrogation of black rights
leader Steve Biko, who died last Sep-
tember of head injuries sustained
during questioning. His friends claimed
police beat him to death, but an inquest
absolved the police of any blame.
Biko's death sparked protest around
the world and Kruger came under
heavy fire from within his own ruling
National Party for his handling of the
affair.
terrorism charges and would have been
formally charged within the legally
prescribed 48 hours had he not died.
Kruger said Tabalaza and another
man were arrested by uniformed police
and turned over to security police for
"further investigation."
Kruger gave no indication why the
young black would have jumped to his
death.
THE DEATH drew banner headlines
in Johannesburg's English-language
liberal newspapers and immediate
protests from opposition legislators.
Helen Suzman, veteran critic of apar-
theid from the small opposition
Progressive Federal Party, demanded
that Kruger resign or that Prime
Minister John Vorster "chuck him
out."
"South Africa simply cannot afford
these disasters which put this country
beyond the pale of the Western
democracies and reinforce campaigns
for the complete isolation of the
republic, economically and in every
other way," Suzman said.
BISHOP DESMOND Tutu, Anglican
president of the Snth African (Concil
out ordinary precautions. We ask for a
judicial inquiry into all detainee
deaths."
Participants at the annual conference
proposed a resolution condemning
Tabalaza's death and demanding
repeal of security legislation that per-
mits detention without trial.
Many of the deaths which occurred in
detention during the past two years
have brought out medical testimony of
injuries sustained hours before death.
The outcry over Biko's death prom-
pted Kruger to order strict police
measuresagainst the possibility of
suicide attempts.. These included
holding interrogations only in rooms
with bars on the window. Kruger said
Tabalaza and another man were
arrested on suspicion of throwing
gasoline bombs at two cars and a school
on July 8 and 10 and of robbing the
drivers of the two cars.
The Ann Arbor Film Cooperative presents at Aud A
Wednesdey. July 12
TWO OR THREE THINGS I KNOW ABOUT HER
(Jean-Luc Godard, 1966) 7"Mnly-Aud A
At the encouragement of her husband, a Parisian housewife living in an ultra-
modern suburban highrise becomes a prostitute to help make ends meet.
Godard uses this metaphor to paint a picture of consumer society asa brothel.
"Por me, to describe modern life is to observe mutations, and not simply to
describe, as certain newspapers do, the new gadgets and industrial prog-
ress."-Jean-Luc Godard. "Ravishingly mysterious . . . Godard shows and
tells with breathtaking skill what it's like to be trapped in one of the planet's
great urban agglomerations."-NEWSWEEK. French with English subtitles.
(Alain Resnais, 1968) JE T'AIME, JE T' A IME 9only-Aud A
A man who has unwillingly been saved from suicide is made the subject of
a scientific experiment. He is put into a time machine to relive one moment
of his past. The machine runs amok. Visually, stunning; mtellectually pro-.
vocative. "Resnais succeeds beautifblly in'his' patchwork 'uilt of time ..